The Other Ponies
by ghostlyhamburger1
Summary: Very short stories about lesser known ponies in the Friendship is Magic world.
1. Pepperdance

**Pepperdance**

_Pepperdance loves to race with her friends! She is always ready for a challenge_.

"I win again!"

A blue pony hung her head in defeat, stumbling to a stop on the dirt path. "Yeah, Pepperdance. You win. Again."

The red earth pony pushed her hoof out to nudge her friend's head up. "Don't feel bad, Button. You're just not a great runner. And I am."

"It's not just running," Blue Button sighed as she sat down on the ground. "It's everything, Pepper. You win every contest that you're in. It'd be nice not to come in second place for once."

Pepperdance gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I get a challenge and I have to win. I don't mean to make you feel bad, but you don't want me to hold back, do you?"

Blue Button shook her head. "No. That wouldn't be fair to you. But can we do something that's not a contest now?"

"Yeah, of course," Pepperdance said. "Wanna go get a cupcake from Sugarcube Corner?"

Blue Button perked up at the idea and nodded. "Yeah! There's no competition for that. Wait, is there?"

Pepperdance just laughed. "Of course not, silly! Unless Pinkie Pie decides to have another cupcake eating contest today. But I don't think she will."

"If that happens, I think I'll just sit out," Blue Button said. "Come on, let's go."

The two ponies headed across town to the brightly colored bakery, on the way talking about trivial things such as what flowers were their favorite and when would the pegasi schedule more rain? On entering the bakery, the pair immediately went to the display of delicious looking cakes and cupcakes for sale.

The pink-maned pony who ran the shop came out from the back just as they started staring at the delectable desserts. "Oh, hello!" she said. "You're just in time, we're introducing a new cupcake today!" She reached under the counter and grabbed a sign with her teeth, setting it on top of the display case.

'New Pepper Jelly Cupcakes!' read the sign. 'Super Spicy! Eat One Without a Glass of Water, Win a Free Box of Cupcakes!'

Pepperdance grinned and twitched her tail, remembering the three hot chili peppers on her flank. She'd got the cutie mark winning a pepper eating contest, and she wasn't going to let her taste in hot spices slow her down now.

But first, she glanced over to Blue Button. "Are you okay with this?"

Her friend sighed but nodded. "Just get a cupcake for me in that box."

The red pony grinned and turned back to the counter. "I'll take one of those pepper jelly cupcakes, please. And no water."


	2. Bitta Luck

__**Bitta Luck**

_Bitta Luck is always trying something new!_

The pony's hooves stomped against the ground as she ran with the crowd. The force from the hooves rumbled the earth just enough to shake the leaves off the nearby trees. But of course, none of the ponies cared about the beautiful foliage gently falling to the dirt path. Each of them cared about one thing only: winning.

Bitta Luck was among the ponies running, but she knew she wouldn't win. She'd won the Running of the Leaves race two years ago, the first year she tried. She'd gotten some glares from the ponies who trained hard and always placed first or second. Bitta hadn't trained at all. Training would mean she wouldn't win.

Bitta Luck suffered from a severe case of what everypony called 'beginner's luck'. She was great at everything she tried! The first time, anyways. She never needed to practice, all she would have to do is try her hoof at it once, and she would succeed. After that, of course, she could practice and be just as good as anypony else.

When everypony learned first aid in school, Bitta refused to practice. "I'll practice after I save somepony's life," she told her teacher. She shook the ladybug cutie mark on her flank to emphasize her words. She knew that the first time she tried, she'd do it perfectly and her lucky patient would be saved. After that…well, she'd have to practice.

She glanced down at her hooves as she ran, a blur of green racing over the ground. Just once, it would be nice to be good at something the normal way. Practice, practice, practice, succeed. Not succeed, then practice. Knowing you were going to win sometimes made things boring.

Bitta had actually practiced for the Running of the Leaves this year. She'd raced friends across town. She'd raced with herself, relying on a stopwatch to know how well she did. She wanted to win.

She did practice last year, actually. But then she'd gotten sidetracked by Rainbow Dash and Applejack. The two ponies had been fighting with each other, and their methods of trying to outdo the other had been mildly entertaining, but extremely distracting. And so, Bitta had ended up in fifth place.

The pony shook her head as she ran, trying to clear out the thoughts of any distraction. Just one hoof in front of the other, as fast as possible. That's all she needed. Her mind went blank and she just kept running.

Suddenly, the sound of cheering interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and realized that she was nearing the finish line—and there were only two ponies in front of her! Spurred by adrenaline, her feet moved faster. She overtook one pony, then the other, and finally Bitta Luck crossed the finish line.

She was in first place. No luck required.


	3. Firecracker Burst

**Firecracker Burst**

_Firecracker Burst loves watching fireworks and guessing how they'll look when they burst—it's always a surprise!_

"Come on, come on…" the teal unicorn crouched to the ground in anticipation, watching the fuse on the firework in front of her. The spark was going to the pillar, but far too slowly for her liking. The fuse was too long anyways, designed for non-unicorns who had to hold the match in their mouth and then run away before the boom. Unicorns, on the other hoof, could levitate the match from a safe distance, no running required.

Firecracker Burst didn't exactly need a match, anyways. She'd created a spell when she was younger that allowed her to spontaneously create a small burst of flame at the end of a fuse. It was such a small fire that it was useless for anything else, but perfect for these fireworks.

The spark made its way along the fuse, heading towards the purple and green striped cylinder propped against a stick. Firecracker Burst wondered what this explosion would look like. Sparks everywhere or a stream of fire across the sky as it zoomed towards—she quickly adjusted the angle of the rocket—that empty field?

The fuse continued to grow shorter in front of Firecracker's eager eyes, until finally…BAM! A dizzying display of green sparkles blinded the unicorn as the rocket whizzed away, looping in the air and leaving the sparkles trailing behind. It was definitely one of the more interesting fireworks she'd ever lit, and one of the more beautiful. She watched the sparkles in the air until they shimmered out of existence, and then trotted off to find the used rocket.

The charred remains of the cardboard rocket smoldered in the grassy field. Luckily, the grass around it wasn't dry, and remained unharmed. Firecracker had had to douse more than a few fires she'd accidentally started.

It was always a little sad when the fireworks were gone and no more fires could be lit. But that was why Firecracker Burst always carried a few spare rockets in her bag. She teleported one out, lit the fuse, and gleefully waited for the next bang.


	4. Twilight Velvet

**Twilight Velvet**

_Twilight Velvet loves writing stories about adventures!_

Twilight Velvet could never get used to getting letters from her daughter. She would be going about her business, and all of a sudden a green puff of smoke would blind her and a scroll would drop on the ground in front of her. She'd make a mad dash to catch it, often knocking over something else in her blindness.

She'd feel that twinge of annoyance when she realized the letter was nothing more than a simple hi, followed by a moment of guilt when she remembered that it was a hi from her daughter. She should appreciate that Twiley took the time to write anything at all!

_Dear Mom,_

_You'll never believe it! My friend who didn't want to read anything a few days ago just started reading your series—and she likes it! She called it "undeniably, unquestionably, un-put-down-able". Her birthday is coming up soon, so I was wondering if you could sign one of the books for her? Her favorite so far is the Griffon's Goblet, but I think she'll like Mask of the Minotaur when she gets to it. Thank you!_

_Your loving daughter,_

_Twiley_

Twilight Velvet set down the letter and smiled. She had requests for autographs all the time, and she usually granted them. She could spend a few minutes to write her name on a book or a card. But it was rare that her family would ask for one—after all, why would they? When they did ask, they had a good reason, just as her daughter did.

But maybe an autograph wasn't right this time. Her daughter's best friend—and an Element of Harmony, besides—deserved maybe a little more.

Twilight Velvet went to her desk, littered with all the materials she needed for inspiration for her novels. Books on the various creatures of Equestria, real and mythological, models of her characters, extra quills and ink, and of course, scrolls upon scrolls of parchment. She cleared a space, prepared a quill, and began a new story.

_Daring Do Meets Rainbow Dash_


	5. Apple Dazzle

**Apple Dazzle**

_Apple Dazzle is so loyal to her friends!_

Apple Dazzle hadn't been to Ponyville for months, since the last Apple Family reunion. She hadn't had much of a chance to see the town outside of Sweet Apple Acres. A hyperactive pink pony had found out there were a bunch of new ponies in town and decided to throw them all a party. Applejack had just rolled her eyes and said it was better to go than to ignore her.

The party was at a bakery called Sugarcube Corner. Somehow, this pony had managed to set up decorations and bake a cake large enough to feed the whole town in the space of an hour. As nice as it was, the Apple clan kind of kept together through the whole thing. They were in Ponyville to see each other, after all.

But Apple Dazzle was curious enough to break away from her family and strike up a conversation with some of the other ponies. She met a group of gardener ponies, and was able to strike up a conversation with them, talking about the difference between growing apples and growing flowers.

She let them know that her special talent was making caramel apples, and the three ponies chorused their "ooh"s in excitement. They loved caramel apples, but the Apples in Ponyville always seemed too busy to make too many.

"Well, next time I come through here, I'll bring some for you," Apple Dazzle promised.

"You'd really do that?" one of them, Lily, asked. "I mean, you'll remember?"

"Sure!" Apple Dazzle said. "I wouldn't forget a promise to a friend!"

And now, the mare was back in Ponyville, for a visit with cousin Applejack. But before going to Sweet Apple Acres, though, she stopped in the town center. Ponies had their carts and stalls all around, selling food and goods. Apple Dazzle headed straight for the flower stalls.

"Hey Lily!" she called. "Rose, Daisy!"

The three ponies furrowed their brows at her, as if they couldn't remember her. Then Daisy gasped. "You're Applejack's cousin, right?"

"Yep!" Apple Dazzle said proudly. "Remember I promised you gals caramel apples?"

"I think so," Rose said. "I'm sorry, it's been so long since we've seen you!"

"No worries!" Apple Dazzle said. "I just wanted to let y'all know I remembered! So here-" she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out three wrapped caramel apples.

"Thanks!" Lily said. "You know, you really are a great friend."


	6. Bumblesweet

**Bumblesweet**

_Bumblesweet is very polite! She loves to talk to everypony and always has something nice to say._

Bumblesweet started her morning the same way every day. She made breakfast for herself and for her roommate, making sure to leave a little note to brighten up her friend's day.

Then she went to the market to buy what she would need for dinner that night. Today, it was carrots and celery for a vegetable soup. She stopped at the carrot stand first.

"Well, hey, Bumblesweet!" Carrot Top, the stall's proprietor said brightly. "What brings you here?"

"Vegetable soup tonight," Bumblesweet replied. "And I know your carrots are the best!"

"Thanks!" the other pony said. "So, how many would you like?"

"Three should be good." She pulled some bits from her saddlebag. "Same price?"

"Of course!"

When Bumblesweet had finished her shopping, she went to the library to return a book she'd borrowed. She was almost through the Daring Do series, and wanted to pick up the next one.

She was always a bit uncomfortable going to the library, knowing that it was also someone's home. She knocked on the door when she arrived before entering, even though she knew she didn't have to.

"Hello, Twilight!" she called when she found the library empty. "I'm here to return my book!"

The librarian's dragon assistant came out from a back room. "Uh, Twilight's kind of busy right now. So, you can leave the book over there."

Bumblesweet set the book where Spike had indicated. She really wanted to get the next one in the series, but the dragon had retreated into the back again, and she didn't want to bother the librarian or her assistant.

She returned home empty-hooved, sighing at having to wait a while longer to continue the adventures of the amazing pegasus. She sometimes was tired of being polite. She walked home with a half-empty saddlebag more often than not because she never pressed the issue when someone wouldn't or couldn't give her the things she wanted.

Bumblesweet headed back into her house, still sighing. But her mood abruptly changed when she found a lemon square levitating directly in front of her muzzle.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"I made desserts!" her roommate said as she entered the room. "Go on, Bumble, try it!"

Bumblesweet took a cautious bite of the pastry and found it delicious. "Lemon, this is fantastic! What made you decide to make these?"

"Because you're always so nice to everypony, I figured someone should return the favor," Lemon Hearts said. "I put honey in these, because of your cutie mark."

Bumblesweet turned to glance at her flank. The little bumblebee there was supposed to represent she was as sweet as honey. It was nice that someone else bothered to remember that.

"Thanks," she said, polite as always. But she really meant her thanks this time.


	7. Mosely Orange

**Mosely Orange**

_Mosely Orange loves to have fancy parties!_

Mosely Orange was not born to the city life. He worked the orange groves with his parents when he was just a colt, knowing that someday he would inherit the acres of trees. He was always half-hearted in gathering the oranges from the trees, upset that back-breaking work would be his life.

When he was old enough to understand figures, his father let him start doing the accounting. It took him off the groves for an extra hour each day. He got to sit inside the comfortable house, working at his father's beautiful mahogany desk shipped from Canterlot.

After a while, his parents weren't even paying attention to the accounts. His father brought him to the accounting firm in Manehattan to handle the taxes for the year.

Mosely had never been to the big city before. He felt right at home among the tall buildings and the bustle of ponies walking down the street. He was astounded by the class of everypony he saw. He wanted this life.

When he inherited the orange groves, he never stepped foot among the trees. He immediately hired workers to take care of the dirty side of the business, while he took care of the money. The workers produced more oranges a day than just the family ever did. There was money enough to pay them all, plus extra for the Orange family.

Mosely moved to Manehattan as soon as he had enough money. He rented himself a nice apartment, and began to manage the oranges from there. The bits continued to pile up, but he had little reason yet to use them. But then he met Orange Slice.

Although the mare had Orange in her name, she was not (yet) part of the Orange family. Her cutie mark came from her signature parties, where every dish at a formal dinner was garnished with a single orange wedge. She needed quality oranges for her parties, and Mosely wanted to be invited to these parties, allowing him to mingle with the upper class of pony society—just where he belonged.

Their business partnership soon led to a romantic one. Mosely asked Orange Slice to marry him one night as they went over accounts together. She thought for a brief moment, and then nodded and stuck out her hoof for a hoofshake. It was simple as that, just another deal.

They were in love, really, but never acted like it. It only came through in brief moments where Mosely would call his wife Slicey, or where she would nuzzle his nose gently when he was working on the accounts.

Orange Slice still threw her parties, and Mosely still attended. After each party, the pair would retire to bed together, and Slicey would break composure to tell Mosely that she loved him.

Mosely Orange loved his wife's parties.


	8. Sassaflash

**Sassaflash**

_Sassaflash loves watching clouds blow across the sky!_

Sassaflash hovered above Ponyville, watching the weather team arrange clouds for a storm. She wished sometimes she could be part of them, getting the glory for making the weather always perfect. But on the other hand, that would mean working with the clouds, when she could just watch them. Watching was so much more fun.

The team pushed the clouds to the edge of town, placing them around the farms that bordered the little village. The farmponies were the only ones who ever really _wanted_ a storm—the heavy water was good for the crops. Everypony else wanted to enjoy sunny skies all year round. The weather team had to make it rain in town sometimes, but most of the time the precipitation was kept to the farms.

Rainbow Dash was leading the team today. Sassaflash could tell, even from a distance, because of the pegasus's famous multicolored mane. She was flying above the ponies pushing clouds, pointing her hooves and shouting orders.

Sassaflash flew back a bit more, perching in a tree. She didn't want Dash to catch her—that pony would make her _work_. She watched in silence, glad that she had nothing better to do than sit in that tree, until the pegasi finished their work, and in unison, bucked the clouds to start the rain.

When the storm field was empty, Sassaflash finally came out. She soared over the clouds, listening to the rain that fell below her. The feeling of being _above_ the rain was an interesting one, and one that only a pegasus could experience. And this pegasus was excited to be here, looping and whirling over the clouds in time with the muffled splashes of rain far below.

She set down on one cloud, right in the middle, and felt a spark of electricity go through her hooves. The cloud rumbled and lit up as a bolt of lightning struck the field below.

Sassaflash flew off as quickly as possible. Oops.


	9. Cherry Spices

**Cherry Spices**

_Cherry Spices loves to bake treats! She makes up her own yummy recipes!_

Everypony knew there was only one bakery in Ponyville: Sugarcube Corner. Other ponies had tried to open their own stores, but had found they just couldn't compete. In a town where so many ponies had baking cutie marks, it was unusual.

Cherry Spices had never noticed this when she was a foal. She earned her cutie mark baking cherry tarts for her friends. When she grew up and needed to find a job, it seemed natural that she would open a bakery for her tarts. Cheery Cherry's, she called it.

She did well enough for a while. She'd bake a few trays of tarts in the morning and have sold them all by the afternoon. But then there was a drought in Dodge City, and the price of cherries went up. Cherry Spices raised her prices to be able to afford the precious fruits, and suddenly all the ponies around were sick of her tarts.

The brown unicorn would stand outside her bakery every day, making sure the sign advertising her delicious tarts was straight, and watched everypony cross the town square to Sugarcube Corner.

Finally, Cherry gave up. She put up one final sign in the window: "Going out of business! Tarts 50% off!" She had more customers that day than in the last three weeks, but barely made enough money to break even on this whole thing.

At the end of the day, she had two tarts left. She would eat them for dinner. It beat having daisies yet again. She headed to the door to shut it for the last time, when one more customer walked in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I couldn't make it earlier, but I do want to try one of these delicious tarts I've been hearing about!" Mrs. Cake, Cherry's competitor, stood in the doorway like any other customer.

"Certainly," Cherry Spices said through gritted teeth. She levitated one of the last two tarts, half her dinner, over to the mare. "Here you go."

"Mm, just as delicious as everypony says!" Mrs. Cake raved. "Tell me, dear, have you ever considered selling your tarts to Sugarcube Corner?"

So that was all the bakers in town did what they loved. Cherry Spices smiled. "I'd be happy to sell them, Mrs. Cake. Here, take the other one for your husband." She levitated the remaining tart into a bag to go. She would be fine having daisies for dinner one more night.


	10. Fizzypop

**Fizzypop**

_Fizzypop loves to blow bubbles as big as she can, but her favorite part is watching them pop!_

"On your mark, get set, go!"

Ponies dipped their bubble wands in the soapy solution, and each blew the biggest bubble they could. Fizzypop watched her own bubble as it grew larger and larger, before finally popping into drops of soap. She didn't win the bubble-blowing contest, but she was able to sit back and watch the other large bubbles grow and pop, one by one.

Fizzypop really loved bubbles. She got her cutie mark from blowing bubbles into her milkshakes when she was young. It was a silly story behind the cutie mark, but it fit her. Now, she worked with her parents to make sodas. Fizzy was in charge of the carbonation hose, which added all the bubbles to the soda. They weren't big bubbles, but they felt nice and funny on a pony's tongue.

It was her idea to include a bubble-blowing contest at the Summer Sun celebration. Fillies and colts all loved bubbles, she told the Mayor. It would be a great activity halfway through the day when the kids were falling asleep from being up at sunrise. Even the adults could join in and wake up a bit!

"Wouldn't it be messy when the bubbles pop, though?" Mayor Mare asked.

"Well, sure, but it's just soap," Fizzypop replied. "I can even bring the soap and bubble wands! I've got some with hoof loops on them, so everypony can pick them up!"

The Mayor rubbed her hoof across her chin as she considered this. "Well, I suppose it would be fun...all right, Fizzypop, you've got a deal."

The next Summer Sun celebration, Fizzypop was seated next to an excited Pegasus as they blew bubble after bubble. The foals who didn't want to blow ran around and chased the bubbles, and a sharp-eyed unicorn carefully watched to see whose bubble was the biggest.

Fizzypop lost, but that was okay. She had fun with the bubbles, and she was able to share that fun with everypony in town. She couldn't ask for any more.


	11. Royal Riff

**Royal Riff**

_Royal Riff makes up songs to sing together with friends!_

"Again, from the top, please."

The grey stallion raised his hooves and led the chorus in front of him in singing the anthem of Equestria. The song was the same classic that every filly had learned in school, but it sounded much more regal and important when sung by the classically trained mares and stallions of the Royal Chorus.

Royal Riff hated the song. _Glory be to Celestia, for Her light shines on Equestria_. He knew Princess Celestia was kind, as the song suggested, but also humble. It was very much like comparing your best friend to a god—uncomfortable for both parties. Besides, the song made no mention of Princess Luna, who was a very nice mare if you had the chance to spend five minutes with her.

But this was the kind of song he was ordered to conduct for official ceremonies. His chorus dutifully sang whatever he told them, not thinking about them. They had good voices, but they didn't care.

In Royal Riff's free time, he wrote original compositions. He could have had his chorus sing these, but he chose not to. Instead, he would take his sheet music on the train out of Canterlot, down to Ponyville.

Out there, he'd hand the music to the town librarian, who would pass it to the many musicians of Ponyville. They'd sing his songs at their parties. They always tried to give a few bits in return, but he always turned down the money, urging that unicorn to buy new strings for her lyre or that pegasus to get voice lessons for her off-key bird. He was paid enough by the Royal Chorus.

He gave his songs to Ponyville because he knew they'd love them. That was more than the mindless singers in front of him. But he was pulled back to those singers as the _Ode to the Royal Sisters _ended.

"Why don't we try something new?" He shuffled through the papers in front of him and bit at the sheets for _Balloon Party_, one of his own. With a shake of his head, he tossed the papers onto the music stands for each singer.

There were some concerned looks as the singers read over the music, but when Royal Riff raised his hooves, they sang his words. At first, it didn't sound quite right. They sang without any emotion, making the song as cold and elegant as the regular songs they had. But then one pony in the back of the chorus interrupted the song by laughing at a joke in the lyrics.

Royal Riff smiled and lifted his hooves to start the song once more. This time, the tension was broken and the singers sang with the joy the song required. It wasn't quite like singing with his friends in Ponyville, but the stallion thought maybe he could make some new friends here.


	12. Magnet Bolt

**Magnet Bolt**

_Magnet Bolt attracts a lot of attention wherever she goes!_

The day started like any other for the blue unicorn. She brushed her mane, washed her face, and headed out the door looking as beautiful as always. Of course, that wasn't very much. Magnet Bolt was a plainly average mare, just another face in the crowd.

She trotted across Ponyville center with her head down. She wanted to run her errands and get home. She just didn't want to deal with everypony today.

"Hey, Magnet!"

Magnet inwardly groaned as Noteworthy trotted beside her, keeping up with her quick pace. "Hi, Note."

"Are you coming to my concert tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, that was tomorrow?" Magnet Bolt's calendar was full of invitations to practically every event in Ponyville as everypony wanted to bring her to something or other. That Thursday was due to be her only day to herself this month. As it was, tonight she had a party to attend.

Noteworthy just nodded eagerly. "Tomorrow night. 8 pm. I really hope you can come!"

Magnet forced herself to smile. "I'll do my best."

This kind of interaction was not abnormal for Magnet Bolt. She had no idea why, but she attracted the attention of everypony around her. Sometimes ponies just respected her, or wanted her as a friend…but mostly they wanted to mate with her.

It was really awkward when she was a teenager. She'd been the last in her class to get her cutie mark. The magnet had appeared on her flank just around the time she started to be interested in colts. Once it was there, the colts were suddenly very interested in her.

She made a few mistakes when she was young, but eventually everypony's attraction to her just got old. She couldn't even have a relationship because she couldn't trust that anypony truly cared about her.

But, Noteworthy was cute...and having a coltfriend might stop everypony from propositioning her. She gave a more genuine smile to the still-hopeful stallion. She would _definitely_ be at that concert.


	13. Peachy Sweet

**Peachy Sweet**

_Peachy Sweet is always smiling wherever she goes!_

A green mare trotted down the center of Appleoosa, making sure to flash a broad smile at everypony she met. She was on her way to meet her brother-in-law Braeburn at the Salt Lick. Peachy Sweet was one of the few who had settled with the Apple family without being a true Apple. She loved her husband and her new family.

But on the other hoof, sometimes she missed peaches. Her cutie mark, a peach pie, was because she could make everypony happy with her peachy treats. The only fruit in Appleoosa was, of course, apples. Peachy had to make all her peach pie, peach cobbler, peach tart recipes with apples instead. Her family enjoyed them, but she knew it just wasn't the same.

Still, Peachy Sweet pretended that she was happy in Appleoosa. She walked down the street with a smile on her face. She continued baking her peach recipes with apples instead. She would not let anypony know that she just wanted to return to Trottingham and make the best Celestia-danged peach cobbler anyone had ever tasted, and then eat it all on her own, savoring every bite. She had to put her best face forward and pretend she was happy surrounded by apples.

When she entered the Salt Lick, Peachy finally let her smile falter slightly. Everypony here was too salted up to notice that she wasn't grinning broadly anymore. Braeburn waved her over to the bar.

"Hey there, sis!"

"Hi, Braeburn." Peachy never bothered to correct her brother-in-law about the actual nature of their relationship. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Cousin Applejack sent a package for you from Ponyville!" He slid the box along the counter to the mare.

Peachy curiously opened the box. Under a few layers of straw for packing material lay a bushel of bright, ripe peaches. Peachy's smile grew. "These are perfect!" She lifted one delicious peach from the bushel and bit into it, enjoying the sweetness that she had missed so much.

"I mighta mentioned to her that you were homesick for yer peaches," Braeburn said. "So, ya think you could whip up one two of your peach cobblers for everypony?"

Peachy nodded. "I think I can do that."


	14. Berryshine

**Berryshine**

_Berryshine loves berries more than any pony!_

Each morning started the same for Berryshine. The purple unicorn would wake up bright and early. She headed downstairs to the kitchen and started to whip up that morning's berry pancakes. And then she was greeted by a loud "STOP CLANGING THE BUCKING DISHES!" from the living room.

She turned to face her twin sister, Berry Punch. Despite being her twin, this other Berry was an earth pony. And beyond that, she was an alcoholic. Berryshine did her best to take care of Punch, but when her sister came dragging home just as Celestia raised the sun each day and acted like _Berryshine_ was the bad one for being awake in the morning…it was hard to deal with her.

"If you would come home and sleep at a decent hour, maybe my morning wouldn't seem so loud to you," she said calmly.

"You just don't _get it_," Punch said, clearly tired of the same argument again. Berryshine didn't understand her, didn't know how _fun_ it was, and Berryshine was tired of hearing the same argument.

Berryshine sat beside her sister, gently nuzzling her to try and get her to sit up. "Punchie, you have a problem. Please, just try laying off the cider one day, okay?"

"Cider's good," Punch said. She was still draped on her side, so her voice was muffled against the couch cushion.

"But not good for you," Berryshine said. "Punchie, you know I love you, but you _need to stop_. Remember when you thought the house was moving?"

"Big Mac really was pulling it!" Berry Punch insisted. "And then he put it back after he jumped in a hole with Cheerilee!"

"That's ridiculous," Berryshine said firmly. "You were _drunk_ and you know it. At three in the afternoon, and it wasn't even cider season!"

"I bought Applejack's extra," her sister replied. "There's still some in the basement."

The griddle was more than hot enough to start the berry pancakes, but when Berryshine stood up, she headed straight to the basement. She came out with a jug of cider held tight in her magic.

"What're you doing with that?" Punch asked suspiciously.

Berryshine answered by dumping every last drop of cider down the sink.

"Stop!" Punch cried, but Berryshine dropped the cider so she could focus her magic on grabbing her sister's tail. The earth pony was forced to sit back on the couch, though she still reached for the cider draining away.

"You _don't need this_," Berryshine said. "Come on. I'll make you pancakes."

"Berry pancakes?"

"What other kind is there?" She walked over to her sister and gave her a quick nuzzle on the forehead. "I'm gonna help you buck this, Punchie. I promise."


	15. Crimson Gala

**Crimson Gala**

_Crimson Gala gives everyone treats when she visits!_

At the Apple Family reunions, everypony knew what their job was and how to do it. It wasn't expected that anyone had to stay in one place, but everypony tended to do what they had done the year before. The kids played together. The old mares worked on their quilt. And Crimson Gala helped out with the apple fritters.

She loved helping her family roll up the fritters and toss them in the oil, but sometimes she didn't want to help. She wanted to make them all herself. It's not that she didn't love her family, but for once she wanted to be _thanked_ for her work with the fritters!

So when another reunion rolled around, Crimson Gala sighed and got to work rolling the fritters. She resigned herself to mindless chatting for hours and then maybe getting a passing thanks directed to the whole family for the bucking delicious fritters. Her hard work was going to go ignored again. But, at least she had family.

This year was different, though. The family was back at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. But instead of Granny Smith running the show, young Applejack was in charge.

"Shame the Ponyville Apples had to skip a generation," everypony commented to each other. "Granny ran it for too long, and Applejack's starting too early."

"I miss Scarlet Pippin and Dandee," someone else would reply. But everypony knew not to mention the Apples gone from the family bushel. It wasn't right to remind the Ponyville family of what they lost while they celebrated what they had.

Crimson Gala had to wonder if it was true that Applejack took the reins a little too early. The reunion was different than usual. But she was fine with that. She got to roll the fritters, no chit-chat with Golden Delicious about didn't she know how _hard_ farming is? She did. They all did. They're all Apples!

But this was easier. Roll, fold, crimp, slide, don't talk. Easy. Her fritters were her fritters, and everypony would thank _her_ for them.

Roll, fold, crimp, slide. Roll, fold, crimp, bored. The work was easy, but tiring without the mindless chatter that she was used to. She needed a break, but when one finally came, she was too exhausted to do anything but slump onto the table and try to stay awake.

She missed the chat. She didn't care anymore who thanked her for the fritters. She just wanted to talk to her family. How was little Apple Dumpling? She didn't know, because Golden Delicious didn't have the chance to tell her.

When the day finally ended, Applejack made sure to personally thank her Aunt Crimson for her work on the fritters. But Crimson Gala didn't care anymore. She was too busy talking to her relatives and looking forward to talking with them next year.


	16. Flower Wishes

**Flower Wishes**

_Flower Wishes has a beautiful garden. She grows flowers in every color of the rainbow!_

"I need some blue flowers."

Flower Wishes stood over her garden, looking at all the flowers she had. Once, she'd had them arranged in a rainbow position, from red roses to purple pansies. That had stopped when her bluebells had been eaten by rampaging bunnies. She didn't want to see the empty stripe in her arrangement anymore.

For the longest time, she'd loved the jumble of colors all together. It looked like a swirl of magic through her garden. She loved walking through the buds and knowing that anytime she reached down for a bite, she'd get a mix of flavor.

But as much as she loved her arrangement, she missed having the blue flowers. Blue ones tasted different. Cool, sweet, some varieties a little minty. They weren't her favorite, but she still liked them, and now she missed them.

Flower Wishes left her cottage and trotted into town to look for the bluest of blue flowers. The flower sellers had all sorts of delicious plants for sale, but only bluebells matched what she was looking for. And after the bunny incident, she didn't want to try those again.

"Sorry, nothing today," she said to the flower seller before leaving the marketplace. The only other place she knew to get flowers was the Everfree Forest. As scared as she was of the dark trees, Flower Wishes was still craving those bluest of blue flowers. So, she went into the depths of the woods.

She walked slowly, fearful with every step. She snapped a twig and panicked, thinking a timber wolf was after her. After what seemed like hours of this careful walking, Flower Wishes finally saw something blue illuminated by a patch of sunlight ahead.

"Finally!" In front of her lay a large patch of brilliantly blue flowers. She stopped at the edge and reached down to grab a bud, curious to taste it.

Just before her teeth closed around the stem, a voice called out, "Stop right there, or you may choke! Please, do not touch the Poison Joke!"

Flower Wishes straightened up. "Who's there? And what's wrong with the flower?"

A familiar zebra walked out of the woods. "The Poison Joke is a dangerous flower. It will curse you with its power."

The pink mare frowned. She'd heard of the Poison Joke when the Ponyville Day Spa had started offering a cure for it. It was definitely _not_ a delicious flower. "Zecora, do you know of any other blue flowers in the forest? My garden really needs some, and bunnies kept ravaging the bluebells."

Zecora reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a small pot. She passed it to Flower Wishes before speaking. "Put this 'round your garden, and you shall see soon the flowers will be bunny-free."

Flower Wishes opened the pot. There was some kind of fertilizer in there, and it smelled sour. Not too sour to eat any flowers grown from it, but she knew that it would fool the bunnies. "Thanks, Zecora. Next time you're back in Ponyville, come by my house for a bite. I'll have bluebells again!"


	17. Diamond Rose

**Diamond Rose**

_Diamond Rose loves to give gifts to her friends!_

Once, Hearts and Hooves Day was just a holiday for lovers and special someponies. Other kinds of love were ignored in Ponyville. It wasn't that ponies didn't understand friendship and family love, the day simply wasn't devoted to it. They didn't do that in Canterlot, so they weren't doing it in Ponyville either.

Diamond Rose was the one to change that. When she was a young filly, she decided that she loved her teacher, Miss White Chalk. She knew that Hearts and Hooves Day was a day for expressing love, and so she made a card for her favorite teacher.

Miss Chalk had a weird expression on her face when Diamond Rose gave her the card, but soon she smiled and happily accepted it. Later that day, Diamond Rose saw her teacher showing off the card to another mare in the village.

The next year, Diamond Rose made a card for Miss Chalk again, but also made cards for her classmates. She told some of her friends what she was doing, and the word spread. On Hearts and Hooves Day, each foal received a card or some candy from each of their classmates.

The parents in Ponyville thought this was a wonderful idea to share the holiday with the children, and applauded White Chalk for coming up with the idea. The teacher demurely accepted their praise in each parent-teacher conference.

The kids knew differently. Diamond Rose didn't mind, but the foals came up to her on the playground over the rest of the year and told her that they would make the adults understand. One filly just a year older than her, Cheerilee, said, "When I'm a teacher, I'm going to make sure I don't take credit for _anything_ my students do."

Years passed. Hearts and Hooves Day became a day for celebrating all kinds of love. The tradition took hold, and no one really cared where it came from anymore. Diamond Rose started a jewelry shop in town, and offered a sale for the holiday every year. Jewelry quickly became one of the most popular gifts.

One year, Cheerilee stopped by the shop. "I'm going to tell my students this year the origins of Hearts and Hooves traditions. Would you mind coming by the classroom tomorrow and talking about what you did?"

Diamond Rose smiled. "I can't believe you remember that. Yeah. I'd love to come."


	18. Cherry Berry

**Cherry Berry**

_Cherry Berry is so cheerful all the time!_

When Cherry Berry was a young filly, her nickname was 'Cheery'. She smiled and laughed all the time, played with her friends, and was a normal foal. She was never unhappy until she was a teenager.

For a long time, Ponyville belonged to the earth ponies. There were a few pegasi and unicorns, but they mostly kept to themselves. It wasn't until Cherry Berry became a teenager that the younger ponies started moving to town, and going to her school. Then, for the first time, she watched pegasi her age flying around in the air above her, hanging out in a space she could never possibly get to. Then, for the first time, Cherry Berry was jealous and sad.

Cherry suddenly became a sad young mare. She isolated herself from her friends and spent her days staring up at the clouds. Her parents worried about her, but chalked it up to her being a moody teenager. After all, she hadn't stopped smiling forever—just most of the time.

Cherry Berry grew up and started helping out with the family business—selling cherries imported from her cousin's farm in Dodge City. Ponies saw her face in town, and knew her smile, but they could tell it wasn't the same smile that she'd had as a kid.

One day, Cherry saw an interesting stand across the market. Pinkie Pie was there with a massive sheet-covered object and a hoof-painted sign reading "Hot Air Balloon for Sale".

"I didn't know you had a balloon," Cherry commented as she strolled up to Pinkie. Her own cart could stand to be alone a few minutes.

"Uh huh!" Pinkie said. "But my new friend Twilight _also_ has a balloon that she lets me ride in, and I have my new super awesome fun sky bike anyways! So I thought somepony else would love to have this one!"

"And it works?" Cherry asked. "You can go up in the sky and everything?"

"Well, duh," Pinkie replied. "I'm not a liar! I would _never_ sell something that doesn't work!"

Cherry Berry smiled. "How much is it?"

Pinkie rubbed her hoof across her chin as she thought. "Well, I was going to ask for 100 bits, but since it's for you…how about you just give me one of your super tasty yummylicious cherry tarts and it's a deal?"

Cherry galloped back across the market to fetch the tarts. Pinkie had only asked for one, but she tossed five of them in the bag anyways. A full balloon deserved more than one tart.

She trotted back and dropped the bag at Pinkie's hooves. "There you go! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!" Pinkie said through a mouthful of tart.

Cherry Berry dragged her new balloon home, and then headed straight to the library to figure out just how in the hay to fly this thing anyways. The new librarian was more than happy to load up her saddlebags with books, but Cherry just chose "Balloons for Beginners" and went on her way.

It took weeks of studying and practicing after each day's market, learning how to inflate the balloon, how to bring it into the air, how to bring it back down. She did a few test runs with the balloon still tied to the ground and one of her unicorn friends standing by, just in case they needed to cushion her fall. But finally, Cherry was ready to let the balloon really fly.

It wasn't a very fast ride, nowhere near the speed many of the pegasi gushed over. But the balloon drifted along, rising and falling with the air currents, and it was relaxing. Cherry kept her eye on the horizon and her hoof on the rope controlling the air flow. She was finally where she always wanted to be.

When Cherry Berry finally landed her balloon and walked out of the basket, she had the biggest smile she'd had in years.


	19. Caramel Apple

**Caramel Apple**

_Caramel Apple loves to watch movies with her friends!_

Caramel Apple never truly felt like part of the Apple family. She lived in Manehattan, the big city. She only set foot on a farm when it was time for the yearly Apple family reunion—and even then, she was worried about the dirt and the animals everywhere. It was all so…_dirty_. Everypony else in her family would be perfectly happy to roll in the mud with the pigs if they could, so Caramel Apple just felt like an outsider next to her own kin.

But back in Manehattan, she could pretend she wasn't from farm folk. She could spend a lovely evening at the theater with her colleagues from school, eating berry caviar instead of apple tarts. When she was going to these events, she always wore a dress that covered her cutie mark. A pony at the theater with common carnival food on her flank? It was unheard of. So, while Caramel Apple was pretending, she didn't really feel like she fit in there either.

It wasn't that the mare was unhappy. She loved her family, and she loved living in the city. She knew that she would have a great time no matter where she was. She just never found a place that suited her.

Then one day, a new kind of theater opened up in Manehattan. There were no actors, but instead a screen. Film wasn't a new concept in Equestria, but movie theaters had previously been confined to Canterlot. Caramel Apple had only seen a movie once, as a young filly.

She remembered sitting in a cushy seat, laden with popcorn and candy and even a caramel apple, staying true to her cutie mark. She got her fur all sticky before the movie even started, but then forgot to eat any of her snacks as she watched pegasi larger than life soar across wild forests, chasing manticores and chupacabres. The beautiful unicorn mare kissed the pegasus stallion hero at the end, and they all lived happily ever after.

Caramel Apple wanted to see that again. As soon as she had a chance, she went straight to the theater and bought a ticket for _Daring Do and the Mask of the Minotaur_. This time, she only bought one caramel apple for a snack, wincing as she tossed over an absurd amount of bits.

But when she saw the famous pegasus on screen, she forgot where she was. She was happy to just sit there and let the story take her far, far away from the city where she didn't belong. She found her place in the theater. She didn't need anywhere else.


End file.
